Jordan 197


The Jordan 197 was the Formula One car with which the Jordan team competed in the 1997 Formula One World Championship. The car was powered by the 3-litre Peugeot A14 V10 engine and ran on Goodyear tyres. The team's title sponsor, for the second consecutive year, was Benson & Hedges.
After a disappointing season, Eddie Jordan opted to replace Rubens Barrichello and Martin Brundle with two young, inexperienced drivers - German rookie Ralf Schumacher, younger brother of double World Champion Michael Schumacher, and Italy's Giancarlo Fisichella, who had driven eight races for Minardi in 1996. The move paid off, as Schumacher and Fisichella recorded six points finishes each, including three podiums - Schumacher third in Argentina, only his third F1 race, and Fisichella third in Canada and second in Belgium. Fisichella also set the fastest race lap in Spain and qualified on the front row of the grid in Germany, and there was a behind-the-scenes battle between Jordan and Benetton for his services in, a battle eventually won by Benetton. Fisichella eventually finished ninth in the Drivers' Championship with 20 points while Schumacher was twelfth with 13 ; the combined 33 points placed Jordan fifth in the Constructors' Championship.
The 197 also stood out for its bright yellow "snake" livery. The car had a snake's eye and fang painted on either side of the nosecone, forked tongues that extended along the sides from the nosecone to the driver's cockpit, and numerous scale effects on other parts of the car. At Grands Prix held in countries that did not allow tobacco advertising, the Benson & Hedges labels were replaced with the snake-related "Bitten & Hisses", or "Ssssschuey" and "Fisssssssi".

Complete Formula One results

YearTeamEngineTyresDrivers1234567891011121314151617PointsWCC
JordanPeugeot V10AUSBRAARGSMRMONESPCANFRAGBRGERHUNBELITAAUTLUXJPNEUR335th
JordanPeugeot V10Ralf SchumacherRetRet3RetRetRetRet6555RetRet5Ret9Ret335th
JordanPeugeot V10Giancarlo FisichellaRet8Ret46939711Ret244Ret711335th